Chapitre 15: Chapter 3: "Midnight" Part 10
Cain, Marcel, Luke and Moxley were standing on top of a hill looking down at Baron Loui's compound. They saw a long line of carriages entering it.
Moxley was one of the five E-ranks in Cain's gang and was a high E-rank like Luke.
"… Are we really going to do this? Look at how many they are!"
Moxley asked, slightly trembling.
"Quit pissi'n ya pants Mox. What if the F-ranks saw ya in this state? it'd be bad for morale, grow some hair on ya chest will ya!"
Cain shouted, annoyed by Moxley's remark.
Moxley was one of his strongest subordinates but he was far too timid for the strength he boasted.
Fortunately, his timid nature had no effect on his competence, he trained hard and always fulfilled his role perfectly.
But still…
"Moxley, I told you to keep your negative thoughts to yourself."
Marcel said, reprimanding him.
They knew the reality of their situation but they were all trying to stay positive. Feeding 126 mouths throughout the long bitter months would prove to be a gruesome task.
They need to do this.
"S-sorry everyone."
Moxley said in a sulking tone.
"Yeah, Moxley you are being a buzzkill you deserve to get scolded! Haha!"
Luke snorted, seemingly making fun of Moxley.
"Sh-shut up Luke!"
Moxley retorted loudly which only made Luke laugh even more seeing how annoyed he was.
"ENOUGH." Cain exclaimed, pinching his brow.
The two of them immediately sealed their lips.
Cain sighed and walked closer to the crest of the hill and Marcel followed behind.
The two of them conversed:
"It's almost midnight are ya ready?"
"… I would not be ready even if you gave me a decade, we are about to wage war with a noble after all."
Marcel said with a bitter smile.
"Oi ya gotta have faith in me."
He said, beating his chest and added on.
"Just fulfil ya role and I'll beat the snot out those C-ranks. Besides ya hate nobles, right? This is ya chance to behead one Haha!"
"Yeah, I believe in you."
Marcel responded smirking.
"By the way if that kiddo finds his sister there's no way he'll stick around don't ya think?"
Cain asked looking back at Marcel.
"No, even if he does find his sister he will not be able to escape quietly, so he has no choice but to wait for us and join the battle."
"… I see."
Marcel added:
"Although I feel terrible for saying this, the best-case scenario for us would be if he did not find his little sister. If that happened his new goal would be to capture the Baron to interrogate him and to achieve that he has to fight to the bitter end with us."
"Hahaha! I had forgotten that ya got a big brain, that kiddo is dancing in the palm of ya hand, eh?"
" I wonder about that..."
[Sometimes I feel like Henry sees right through me.]
Marcel swallowed the words he wanted to say and instead said them inwardly.
He turned his head to look at Luke and Moxley who were quietly bickering.
Marcel furrowed his brow.
"Can you two stop it!"
"Yes!" They both answered in unison.
"Luke, stop teasing Moxley."
Marcel said, in a fed up tone.
Cain narrowed his eyes into the distance below, there he saw two men walking into the garden wearing robes.
"Oi Marcel who are those two? Are they from the church?"
Marcel narrowed his eyes before responding.
"No, they are different. They are from the 'Midnight Eye' which is a cult of sorts but they are a very powerful organization nonetheless."
"Then…" Cain said, in a worried tone.
"Do not worry they are a prideful organization they will not bother with us."
[How do ya know so much?] Cain kept those thoughts to himself.
"Woah they can actually see that far?" Luke whispered in Moxley's ear.
"Wow, those two are amazing!" Moxley said with his eyes filled with awe.
Cain guided the trio through the dense woods, leading them back to where the rest of the group had set up camp.
It had been a strenuous journey that spanned five hours since their arrival, and upon reaching the campsite, the other members were taking a well-deserved rest.
The entire day had been dedicated to the arduous trek from the slums to their current resting place, a journey accomplished entirely on foot without a moment's respite.
Upon arriving at their destination, Marcel asserted the need for everyone's attention, determined to meticulously review the plan once more.
The essence of the strategy was clear: Cain, Marcel, Luke, and Moxley would launch an assault on the Baron's D-ranks to thin out their numbers.
Subsequently, Cain would embark on a solo mission to confront one of the Baron's formidable C-rank knights.
The remaining forces, consisting of 12 F-ranks and 3 E-ranks, were tasked with contending against the Baron's considerable army consisting of regular soldiers, along with E and F-ranks.
Marcel would tactically switch between engagements against the D-ranks and E-ranks as the situation demanded.
Despite facing overwhelming odds, the group acknowledged the harsh reality: they had no recourse but to confront the challenge head-on and fight to the bitter end.
////
Henry gradually opened his eyes, surveying his surroundings with a dazed expression as his mind struggled to shake off the remnants of haze.
His disheveled hair demanded attention, prompting him to run his fingers through the unruly mess.
As he attempted to regain full awareness, he sensed the stiffness in his body, compelling him to extend his arms in a stretching motion.
The audible symphony of muscles and joints snapping back into place accompanied the deliberate stretch, resonating through the air.
His eyes went wide after finally noticing that over half the residents of both the cages were missing including the pair of twins he had travelled here with.
His mind no longer being subjected to haze, he turned to Apollo who was sitting next to him with eyes that were full of questions.
"They were taken about an hour ago, to be cleansed and prepared for the auction."
Apollo answered the question that was never asked.
"Why would they take them during the day? Does it take that long to prepare them for the auction?"
Apollo blinked at Henry before he sighed.
"It is currently not day time; you have been sleeping for the past 20 hours or so."
Apollo answered, throwing a pocket watch he had swiped from one of the soldiers at Henry.
Henry caught it without any trouble but his eyes went wide when he read the time.
[10 minutes to midnight!?] He cried inwardly.
He had never slept that long before in his entire life, the cause of his long slumber dawned on him and a bitter smile appeared on his face.
[I really should never attempt that again; I think I almost died.]
A cold sweat broke out on his temple.
But oddly enough, despite almost 'dying' his body felt quite refreshed, was it because he had been sleeping for well over 20 hours?
No, it was something else. He felt his Ki flow more clearly throughout his body and it felt more refined than before.
[Did I...]
*Ba-dump* His heart almost skipped a beat.
He focused internally and assessed the amount of Ki in his body, but alas the quantity was still the same, he had not awakened to a new rank as he had hoped.
He let out a disappointed sigh and looked towards Apollo.
"Why did you not wake me?"
"You needed to rest considering the state you were in so I just let you sleep. You need to be in your best condition to fight a C-rank."
Apollo answered in a stern tone.
"Thank you for your consideration."
Henry threw the pocket watch back at Apollo.
"We should get going now." Henry said, with a serious expression.
"Wait." Apollo stopped Henry.
"Here I saved you some food, you should eat. There is still a bit of time before midnight."
Apollo handed him a wooden bowl and inside was crushed corn with bits of dry meat, the two ingredients seemed to be mixed with water.
In truth the 'food' looked more like chicken feed than food meant for human consumption.
Henry reluctantly accepted because he was impatient, he accepted the food nonetheless fighting back his impatience.
He grabbed a hand full of the food and put it in his mouth, it tasted just as bad as one can imagine but he scarfed it down due to his impatience and the fact that he was actually starving.
"Even if we escaped from this place, I have no place to return to."
Apollo suddenly said with a bitter expression.
Henry who had his cheeks filled with food only glanced at Apollo and let him continue speaking.
"My village was destroyed by that 'Devil', reducing it to nothing but ashes. I was the only one who survived thanks to my mother who sacrificed herself for me."
Henry took the last handful of food and continued eating.
"My purpose now is to get stronger and kill that bastard!"
Apollo said, clenching his large first.
Henry swallowed all the food in his mouth and stood up enthusiastically.
"It does not matter if you have no place to return to. One thing is certain, you do not belong in this cage living like an animal."
Henry said walking towards the thick bars of the cage.
"Besides, take a look around most of us here have no place to return to either."
Henry said grabbing the thick bars with both his hands.
"We are the forsaken ones!"
He shouted with veins visibly pulsating on his forehead and his pupils dilated.
He ripped open the steel cage bars as if they were nothing!
The adolescents who were watching were shocked, their eyes almost popping out of their sockets and their jaws on the floor.
He walked to the other cage and did the same thing.
He took a few steps backwards and looked at the inhabitants of both the cages and spoke to all of them.
"Those of you who can fight join me!" Henry said with his voice roaring.
"Would it not be better to die fighting for your freedom than living a life worse than a dogs' in these filthy cages!?"
His words resonated with the adolescents in the cages and they all let out a war cry in unison.
Apollo was already standing next to Henry.
Henry and company ascended up the flight of stairs.
Soon they reached the black steel door that was locked from the outside.
It was already midnight at that point.
Apollo put his arm on Henry's shoulder and stepped in front of him.
"Allow me."
Apollo said, putting one leg in front of the other and lowered his posture, he pulled back his bulging fist and took a deep breath.
"HAAA!!" He shouted, unleashing his fist on the surface of the door.
*BOOOM!!*
The large steel door was sent flying and instantly killed the two guards who were standing in front of it, reducing them to nothing but paste, their blood splattered on the floor.
It continued flying not losing any momentum as it tore through the walls of the mansion.
//
With pride, Garfield ascended the stage where he would showcase his 'goods.'
From this elevated vantage point, he peered down at the influential figures fixated on him, relishing the sense of superiority that never failed to exhilarate him.
Hosting these auctions held a unique appeal for him, and this particular moment exemplified why.
A surge of dopamine coursed through his body, causing the hairs on his skin to stand on edge, capturing the electric thrill of the occasion.
He took out his golden pocket watch and glanced as it ticked, only seconds away from midnight.
As soon as it was midnight, not even a second later Garfield spoke in a loud voice.
"Welcome esteemed guests! Thank you for making it all the way here to my humble territory, as usual I will not waste any time and I will get straight into the auction!"
He snapped his fingers and a soldier brought out Micah and Mimi who had their wrists and ankles tied in shackles.
"Today we start with a very rare product! A pair of fraternal twins!"
The crowd happily exclaimed at the sight of the twins, the tears in their eyes did not even evoke any emotions of empathy to the people present.
They did not even see the twins as human.
"Alright! since you all know how rare twins are the bidding price will begin at-"
Before Garfield could even finish talking, he was cut off by the multiple voices.
"50 gold coins!"
"100 gold coins!"
"125!"
"180 gold coins!"
"250!"
The bids kept flooding in, a wide smile broke out on his face.
Unfortunately for him the pleasant sounds of the bids were interrupted by a loud sound coming from inside his mansion, followed by sounds of walls breaking which were becoming louder and louder.
He wondered if a bull was raging inside of the mansion.
Then a moment later:
*BOOM!!*
Flying out of his mansion he saw a large black steel door that was clearly not supposed to be there.
*CRASH!!*
Seemingly having lost all its momentum the steel door crashed right beside the stage Garfield was standing.
[What the fuck? How did that get here?]
Before he could even collect his thoughts, he heard the sound of a horn coming from the gates, meaning there was an enemy attack.
His eyes went wide and he started sweating profusely.
[WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON????!!!!]
Cadeaux
-- Cadeau
reçu État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone